Promoting sps growth by fragging!

[jtietz]

SPS GROWTH UPDATE!!!!!

This is going to be a long one.

All corals are doing great, not just alive but growing. But at what rate. Until this project all sps corals upon entry would guickly base out, color up, and the grow very slow. I wanted to just stat the growth. I decided to damage a few corals to promote branching and faster growth due to healing properties. I fragging, snipping, and slicing three different corals. Below i will identify each coral describe the visual differences between before pictures with more current ones.

The pictures below, are of the three corals. The collage framed picture are of day "before and after" fragged, snipped, and scored corals.

-Fraggeg coral: Orange Digitata
-Snipped coral: Purple/Green acropora
-Sliced coral: TMNT montpora

 

[DarkSky]

@jtietz Any updates?

 

[jtietz]

@jtietz Any updates?

Here r some pics of how things are progressing.

 

[DarkSky]

I'm giving it a try as well. Here's a few shots of the acros I'm trying it on.

TSA Exquisita



Garf Bonsai



Pink Lemonade



Each tip I snipped I glued next to the frag, about 1/2" away. I did it to about 7 total frags in my system that had a few branches worth trying this on.

Remind me to check back in a month or two if I forget.

 

[jtietz]

I'm giving it a try as well. Here's a few shots of the acros I'm trying it on.

TSA Exquisita



Garf Bonsai



Pink Lemonade



Each tip I snipped I glued next to the frag, about 1/2" away. I did it to about 7 total frags in my system that had a few branches worth trying this on.

Remind me to check back in a month or two if I forget.

I would in crease ph and kh. I hit 8.5ph mid day and keep kh around 9.5

 

[DarkSky]

I would in crease ph and kh. I hit 8.5ph mid day and keep kh around 9.5

My nutrients are too low for 9.5dKh. I keep might right at 8.5dKh, 440 ca, 1350mg, 0-2ppm No3, <0.1ppm Po4. pH stays around 8.1-8.3.

 

[MissyTwitch]

My only issue with this is you are doing this in a closed system. High potential to loose whole colony if system is not completely stable. Honestly after reading that article about parasites causing RTN I’d have a UV light on my system before I did that. Speaking of yeah I did and it did increase my growth/branching. However, before I did it without UV I lost a really nice TRUE Yellow XL Acropora colony, survived in my tank for 2 years before I clipped 1 inch with fragging clippers......I learned my lesson. Also if a coral is suffering from RTN if XL you could frag to save, if small/med I wouldn’t try to figure out what’s causing it. The extra stress will ensure it’s demise [frag and mother colony]

 

[MARK M. DAVIS]

It’s a thing. My sps colonies grow so close to the front glass that when I use a magnetic scraper it clips the tips of the sps and sometimes branches get knocked off. They mostly multi branch at the injured local. Also, if you glue the branch sideways, many coralites will grow out from tip to tip all along the branch.

 

[danreefman]

Shot April 10

Now

Clipped on 13th.

Seems to be sprouting everywhere pretty fast.

 

[|sCRIBe|]

I just watched a YouTube video on this amazing mixed reef tank and she spoke about trimming to promote growth and branching. It was very intersting so I will have to try this on my established colonies.

 

[coral408]

very interesting! thank you for sharing this technique.

 

[GTM42]

Corals are just like people, if you cut them they will heal much faster than just growing. A cut on you skin will heal very quickly, however our skin does not grow that fast normally. I would personally recommend not just a score, but a whole frag. You can also check out micro fragmentation developed by mote marine. They are pioneers in growing coral to plant on the reef.

 

[shiftline]

I recently interviewed a lady with a stunning 230g reef tank packed full of nice acros. She also claimed that regular pruning stimulates growth

Super Simple Reef tank - Tank tour of Wincey's packed mixed SPS 210G Saltwater Reef Aquarium

 

[WWIII]

I recently interviewed a lady with a stunning 230g reef tank packed full of nice acros. She also claimed that regular pruning stimulates growth

Super Simple Reef tank - Tank tour of Wincey's packed mixed SPS 210G Saltwater Reef Aquarium

Woah Devin on R2R! Didn't think you had time for us here! Lol jk

That tank is amazing! 10 days to heal and start regrowth is crazy fast!

 

[marlinmon]

I'm seeing the same. I fragged a green SPS and a blue tort and I'm seeing multiple branching where I clipped the frags from.

 

[jtietz]

I am so glad this thread is getting some traction. Its laid dormant for some time. Glad its alive and growing like a cut sps. Lol. Thanks reefing comunity

 

[|sCRIBe|]

I just watched a YouTube video on this amazing mixed reef tank and she spoke about trimming to promote growth and branching. It was very intersting so I will have to try this on my established colonies.

I recently interviewed a lady with a stunning 230g reef tank packed full of nice acros. She also claimed that regular pruning stimulates growth

Super Simple Reef tank - Tank tour of Wincey's packed mixed SPS 210G Saltwater Reef Aquarium

Yep this is the video I watched. Nice work!

 

[shiftline]

Woah Devin on R2R! Didn't think you had time for us here! Lol jk

That tank is amazing! 10 days to heal and start regrowth is crazy fast!

Hahaha I have all kinds of love! Kinda go in spurts is forms on and off I keep telling my self to update my build thread

Yep this is the video I watched. Nice work!

Thanks!

 

[hatfielj]

That girl's tank is unbelievable. Makes me want to throw in the towel on my display! Thanks for featuring an awesome tank like that. Find some more tanks like that and make more videos for us

 

[MARK M. DAVIS]

I recently interviewed a lady with a stunning 230g reef tank packed full of nice acros. She also claimed that regular pruning stimulates growth

Super Simple Reef tank - Tank tour of Wincey's packed mixed SPS 210G Saltwater Reef Aquarium

Nice video! Great tank!